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Boom Goes the Dynamite: 03.08.09

We are finally here. Today is the last day of the college basketball regular season. What’s that? St. Mary’sdidn’t get the memo? Ok, after today 99.99999% of the programs will be done with the regular season. After we attempted to write the college basketball version of War and Peace for yesterday’s Boom Goes the Dynamite, we get a little break as there aren’t quite as many high quality games today, but the ones that we do have look like they will be pretty entertaining. Here are the games that we will be following today:

6 PM: College of Charleston vs. Davidson on SportsSouth and ESPN360.com

There are a couple of big story lines here. Outside of the obvious ones happening in Chapel Hill (Tyler Hansbrough‘s last game in the Dean Dome, UNC’s quest for a #1 seed, Duke’s last gasp effort for a #1 seed, and all the injuries including the under-reported–not by RTC–injury to Ty Lawson), we’ll be looking in on East Lansing where the Spartans will be looking to solify a #2 seed (forget all the talk about them getting a #1–not happening), Saint Louis where the Missouri Valley will award a ticket to the NCAA tournament, and Chattanooga where Stephen Curry and his Davidson teammates will be battling for their NCAA tournament lives as they will not get in if they don’t win their conference tournament.

There are also some great games out in Las Vegas for the West Coast Conference tournament with Gonzaga vs. Santa Clara, which will be featured as our RTC Live event, that will be followed by Saint Mary’s vs. Portland (aka “The Return of Patty Mills“). Unfortunately, that’s past my bedtime on the East Coast (tips at 9:30 and 11:30 PM ET respectively) although if you’re really nice you might be able to talk rtmsf into staying up late for you since he’s on the West Coast.

11:30 AM: It looks like we only have 2 games (Purdue-Michigan State and Alabama–Tennessee) worthy watching in the noon time slot. Unfortunately, they’re both on CBS so most of the nation will only be able to follow one on television. Luckily, I’m getting the better of the two games (Purdue-Michigan State), but I will be following the game in Knoxville on GameCast as well. If any of you are in Tennessee or Alabama, feel free to send in your thoughts in the comment section so the rest of us will know what’s going on in the game beyond the box score.

While we’re waiting, I wanted to pass along a photo I found on Deadspin this morning featuring Erin Andrews, who found something in Freedom Hall a little disturbing (probably Rick Pitino‘s yelling).

11:45 PM: We haven’t heard anything new about Ty Lawson’s status or any of the Duke players, but we’ll be following that throughout the day.

Noon: Looks like a packed house at the Breslin Center and we have Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery bringing us the game. I’m assuming this will be one of the announcing teams for the NCAA tournament so I’ll be tracking them too. Seems like an excitable bunch.

12:10 PM: Are these new uniforms from Purdue? Not a big fan of the black-on-black with the gold trim. I can’t even make out names or numbers in high-definition. Slow start from both teams as the Spartans lead 3-2 after 3 minutes.

12:15 PM: Nice work by the CBS guys catching Kalin Lucas getting hit on the top of his right hand and how it is bothering him. Did you notice that ESPN? It’s almost like their announcers watch the game. . .

12:30 PM: Impressive range from Goran Suton as he knocks down the 3. He’s a surpringly good long-range shooter for a guy who 6’10”. Coming into today he shoots 37.9% from 3 although he only shoots 1 per game. He’s also shoots 82.5% from the FT line. That has to be one of the highest percentages for any big man in the country.

12:40 PM: I just checked Raymar Morgan‘s game log and it looks like he still isn’t even close to 100% after his bout of atypical pneumonia. If the Spartans want to make a trip to Detroit in April, they will need Morgan to regain his strength and fitness because this team lacks an explosive scorer to go along with a solid PG (Lucas) and a quality center (Suton).

12:45 PM: Wow. That was an ugly possession by Purdue. Was that Ed Hightower with the Oscar-winning charge signal?

12:50 PM: Tennessee is trailing 31-23 with 3:54 left in the first half at home against Alabama in a game they really need. Bruce Pearl might want to work on his team’s defensive strategy at half because ‘Bama is shooting 48% from the field and 57.1% from 3-point range. Hitting a few 3s (1/10 for the Vols) might help too.

1:05 PM: Looking at those household names (Maryland, Georgetown, Boston College, and Kentucky) I would have to say the only team that is definitely in is BC, a team that I would have to say is the only one that isn’t a “household name” in college basketball. A quick run-down of the the interesting games going on right now.Purdue leads Michigan State 31-29, Alabama leads Tennessee 39-29, and Army is ahead of American, 34-27 at halftime in the Patriot League semifinals. Actually the last one is probably the most surprising since American is the heavy favorite in the Patriot League as they are 13-1 in the conference this year.

“Right now we’re No. 1,” Pitino said of the Cardinals’ NCAA seeding. “If we lose once in the Big East [tournament] in the first game we could be two. We’re Big East champions and they should honor the Big East champ, especially since we did it on the road. If you’re going to pick one Big East team [it should be Louisville]. I’m not lobbying about it nor do I care about it.”

Yeah. We all believe you Rick. . .

1:25 PM: Tennessee has used a 13-4 run (off three 3-pointers) to start the 2nd half to cut it to a 1-point game with 15:46 remaining. . . American has also cut it to a 1-point game with 14:26 left. And we’re tied in East Lansing with 15:57 left.

1:30 PM: Some sloppy play on both ends in East Lansing. Neither team has any rhythm on offense. It seems like it takes a ridiculous individual effort to get basket for either team.

1:40 PM: Why do these college guys keep on throwing alley-oops like they have LeBron James running down the court with them? Raymar Morgan is a good athlete, but he is never finishing that play. I guess it may get them on SportsCenter if he gets really lucky and finds a way to tip it in (he’s not dunking that), but you’ve got Purdue on the ropes. Just go with the easy 2 points.

1:45 PM: Some news from Jeff Goodman over a Fox Sports: Memphisadded 6’11” big man DeMarcus Cousins to its roster of committments for this year during an unofficial visit this weekend. By pairing Cousins with Xavier Henry, John Calipari probably has one of the best freshman 1-2 punches in the country. I wonder if UAB regrets losing Cousins after he refused to sign because he wasn’t sure if Mike Davis would be there to coach next year.

2:00 PM: Michigan State used a 14-2 run to break open a game that was tied at 33 and it looks like they should be able to cruise to a victory here if they can just hit some free throws and don’t turn the ball over. As I type this Kalin Lucas turns the ball over and Purdue hits a 3 and makes a lay-up to cut it to 6. Tom Izzo calls a timeout.

2:02 PM: Just saw Jameson’s comment. I agree with that. It took me a while to figure out that they were on that big of a run. I happened to look at the score, noticed that Purdue’s score hadn’t went up much, and then I finally realized what was happening.

2:05 PM: Did Gus Johnson just say that Raymar Morgan’s “walking pneumonia turned into mononucleosis”? If that’s true, Dr. Johnson should write a case report about that because I’ve never heard of it. You can get pneumonia and mononucleosis as separate disease processes at the same time, but I’m pretty sure that a bacterial infection can’t turn into a virus.

2:10 PM: Tennessee just lost to Alabama 70-67 on a 3-pointer by Anthony Brockwith 2 seconds left at the buzzer on a ridiculous heave. That’s a major blow for the Vols and will cost them at least a seed or two. They probably still are in the NCAA tournament thanks to the #2 strength of schedule, but they might need to win a game in the SEC tournament to feel safe on Selection Sunday.

2:15 PM: After a rough stretch that must have taken a couple weeks off of Izzo’s life, Michigan State looks like it should have this game wrapped up. American also survived an upset by by Army winning 61-60. I’ll be back in a few minutes as the 2 PM games get going.

2:20 PM: If Morgan really has mono, I hope none of the other Michigan State guys kissed the same spot on the logo as he did. . .

2:35 PM: Thanks for the comment GBBound. I’m aware of Morgan’s eligibility (and the fact that he’ll be back next year as a result of his various ailments) and yes it was a weak attempt at humor.

2:40 PM: I like the fact that the MVC didn’t wait a second for CBS to finish its earlier telecast to get started with their championship game. It looks like Northern Iowa might run away with this one as Kwadzo Ahelegbe is going off right now. Illinois State need to pick it up on this game could be over by halftime.

2:45 PM: That reminds me. I’ve been impressed with CBS and Seth Davis in their professionalism in not pimping his new book on their national broadcasts (waiting for halftime when I’m sure they will do it and make me look like an idiot).

2:50 PM: Northern Iowa goes into hal leading Illinois State 27-19. FSU is up 28-16 on VTech with 2:55 left in the first half, which would hurt VTech’s slim NCAA chances. Other than that there aren’t many note-worthy games going on right now.

2:52 PM: Eagle, I noticed that the American game was close (1-point margin), but I have no idea how it ended. How about a little help with the details?

2:55 PM: Big words from Seth Davis saying that Gerald Henderson will be the best player on the court in Chapel Hill tonight. I think Tyler Hansbrough might have something to say about that on his Senior Day. I’m guessing that Coach K will remind his players about how Hansbrough ruined J.J. Redick‘s Senior Day in Cameron when Hansbrough was a freshman. CBS just figured out that Ty Lawson’s injury could be serious. They’re just 24 hours behind us and they’re at UNC right now while I’m 1,000 miles away. Solid reporting there by the CBS crew.

3:05 PM: Speaking of J.J., I just saw him sitting on the bench during the Orlando-Boston game. He looks like he is pretty comfortable there as he probably should be.

3:10 PM: Illinois State just cut the lead to 6 on a dunk by Osiris Eldridge. Nice to have Dick Enberg announcing the game because he made the Red Birds +2 margin this half seem like it was a 10-0 run to start the half.

3:20 PM: Illinois State had cut it to a 1-point game with 13:30 left, but Northern Iowa respondsedwith a long jumper to put it back to 3. Someone just got leveled on a screen there. A little help by the CBS guys would be useful.

3:25 PM: When did 72% FT make you a good free throw shooter? I’d say it’s respectable, but I would reserve the “good” label for someone close to 80%. The CBS guys disagree with me. Of course, Eldridge proved me right by missing both FTs (something that a good FT shooter almost never does).

3:40 PM: Eldridge is definitely feeling it now. By the way, I hate having multiple 3-point lines. Why do they need a NBA line in St. Louis? Is this the same court that Bob Petit played on? (Yes. I’m aware that they didn’t have a 3-point line in the NBA until 1979.)

3:45 PM: Eldridge is definitely in the zone right now. If Northern Iowa doesn’t get it together he is going to knock them into the NIT. FSU is up 45-41 with 7:55 left. Toney Douglas is having a rough day (4/14 FG), but A.D. Vassallo is having an even worse day (1/11 FG). That game will probably come down to which of those guys can find the range although Malcolm Delaney could also play a role.

3:50 PM: Looks like we are going to have a great finish on CBS. It’s tied at 46 with 2:07 left.

3:55 PM: Big rebound and FTs by Champ Oguchi gives Illinois State a 2-point lead with 53 seconds left. Northern Iowa responds with a pair of clutch FTs with 36.4 seconds, which essentially gives Illinois State the last shot. They’re taking a timeout to set up a play. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Eldridge will be prominently involved.

3:56 PM: Why would you name your company after the most feared Communist agency during the Cold War?

3:57 PM: Horrible last play. Did they even draw a play up there? Northern Iowa should get a possession now because that did not hit rim. Why hasn’t anybody pointed this out? The shot clock expired with more than a second left.

4:00 PM: Judging by that audio, we’re missing the Senior Day ceremony for UNC. I’m sure we will see it at least a dozen times today during the CBS telecast.

4:05 PM:Ali Farokhmanesh has hit a couple big 3s to keep Northern Iowa in the game. Illinois State is still up by 3 with 2:24 left. In Tallahassee, FSU hung on to win by 10.

4:15 PM: Oguchi just missed a very easy lay-up that could have given Illinois State a 3-point lead. Instead, Northern Iowa brought the ball down the other way and was fouled. Ahelegbe hits a pair to give them a 1-point lead with 16.7 seconds left. A sloppy pass by Illinois State leads to a tie-up with the possession arrow going to Northern Iowa. Illinois State still has a chance even if Northern Iowa hits both of its FTs becasue they will have time to get the ball to Eldridge. Oguchi is going to be sick for weeks if they lose this game after he blew that easy lay-up.

4:18 PM: Farokhmanesh hits a pair of FTs to give Northern Iowa a 3-point lead. Illinois State draws up another awful play and Eldridge’s 3 comes up short. If that’s all they can come up with at the end of regulation and OT they don’t deserve a NCAA bid. I’ll be handing it off to rtmsf who will take you through the rest of the day.

4:20 PM: Greetings, everyone – it’s already been a pretty good day and it’s only going to get better. UNC-Duke is on now, followed by Wake-Clemson and some WCC semis action later. Brian Zoubek just got racked by Ed Davis’ foot – that couldn’t have felt good. Adding insult to injury, he got a foul on that play.

4:23 PM: A few thoughts before we really get settled in here. Agreed with my esteemed colleague on the Illinois St. finish – the had several bad possessions in the clutch both at the end of regulation and OT. Gotta execute better than that to deserve a Dance ticket. Also, did anyone else find it hilarious that for the first time in the history of the Duke-UNC series, coverage didn’t leave another game early so as to get there for the tip of the more “important” game. Dunno who made that decision for CBS to stay with the game that actually had an NCAA bid on the line, but that person should be promoted.

4:26 PM: Nantz just said a little while ago that Lawson doesn’t look any slower, but he definitely looked slower on his jukes there. Hansbrough already has two threes (??). Speaking of Nantz, do you think he’s relieved he doesn’t have to deal with Packer anymore on these games?

4:29 PM: On the ESPN FC, we’ve got the CAA semis between ODU and VCU. RTC Live was hoping to be there, but the Richmond Coliseum hasn’t yet joined the 21st century with their wifi access. VCU is ahead by three now. If Anthony Grant makes the NCAAs again this year, will he finally bolt for greener pastures – Georgia? Alabama? NC State?

4:32 PM: Speaking of RTC Live, we will have onsite coverage of Gonzaga-Santa Clara tonight at 9:30pm EDT (also on ESPN2). It’ll be interesting to see how Gonzaga handles the John Bryant Express. So far, the vaunted Carolina defense is looking great – holding Duke to just a shade under 55% shooting.

4:43 PM: Duke is hitting from outside, which of course makes them especially dangerous – they’re hitting 60% with five threes and Kyle Singler already has 15. That Coach K is smart – he’s hitting Carolina where they’re most vulnerable (ranking 176th nationally in three-pt defense).

4:51 PM: Carolina is going inside where they have a clear advantage while Duke is shooting over the top where they have a clear advantage. Feel like we’ve seen this game before. Skilled size usually wins out over hot shooting in the long run. Let’s see who closes the half stronger here.

4:54 PM: Really odd that Henderson didn’t go glass on that last drive. So it’s halftime, and as we’re watching both of these teams light it up, we’re wondering if a team that ranks 43d in defensive efficiency can actually get enough stops in six games to win the national title? Is there any kind of precedent for this? We’re not sure, but off the top of our head, it seems as if we remember someone at BP talking about this. Just a quick look shows that UNC, Florida, Florida, Kansas were all in the top 12 in that category. Maybe someone else can parse this a little more.

5:03 PM: Over at the CAA Tourney, VCU and Eric Maynor are up nine on ODU with just under four to go. The winner will get George Mason or Towson, who is a big cinderella after upsetting Northeastern last night.

5:14 PM: VCU just finished off ODU. Over in Chapel Hill, Carolina just went on a 7-0 run to take back the lead from Duke. Like I said before, I feel like I’ve seen this game before. One thing about Carolina’s national title hopes – from my perspective, they start and end with Ty Lawson. If he plays superbly, then this is a much more difficult team to beat. And he’s shown several times this year that he’s not willing to take the big shot at the end of the game, but to make the big shot at the end of the game. He is an x-factor and he’s led UNC to seven NCAA wins already in his career there.

5:20 PM: It’s a battle of bubbles in Columbus, as OSU has run out to an early 9-pt lead on Northwestern. NU really needs to figure out a way to win this one to bolster its resume. Another really interesting game coming up later is Charleston vs. Davidson in the SoCon Tourney. As you know, Davidson probably needs to win this tournament to get back into the Dance, and Charleston was the first SoCon team in forever to give DC a taste of its own blood on Feb. 7th.

5:24 PM: Hansbrough just picked up his third. Insert your own joke here, but he only averages just over 2 fouls per game this season, and has yet to foul out. He did have four in the first Duke game, though. Good Lord – Gerald Henderson tries dunks that most people can’t even contemplate.

5:30 PM: Singler is dialed in today. UNC is on a 9-3 run ever since Hansbrough went out with his third foul.

5:34 PM: Duke’s highest allowed defensive ppp this year was the first game against Carolina (1.24). We’d guess with Carolina hitting almost 60% so far, this game is going to be close to that number.

5:42 PM: It’s only a six-pt lead, but does anyone think that Duke can actually win this game? Personally, their only realistic chance would be if G. Henderson catches fire like he did against Wake two weekends ago. But that was at Cameron, and he’s currently 3-9 in this game.

5:47 PM: Speaking of Elliot Williams, it’s like Greg Paulus isn’t even on the team anymore (0-2 in how many minutes?). Guess K realizes that Lawson even on one toe will just abuse him.

5:50 PM: I just watched Scheyer lift his pivot foot twice as he held the ball at the to of the key there. It’s amazing that the refs are just choosing to overlook this, and it’s not just a Duke Problem. I’m starting to think the only way you can walk is if you’re on a move to the basket.

5:52 PM: Danny Green is no Gerald Henderson when it comes to air time.

5:55 PM: Wow, Ohio St. is up 25-15 on Northwestern at halftime. Too bad CBS isn’t showing that game instead of this one.

5:59 PM: If Duke can get three straight stops, beginnning the next possession, they can win this game. Let’s test my theory.

6:02 PM: Singler is a really good player, but how he was Oregon POY over Kevin Love is something that I’ll never understand. Duke nearly had stop #1, but Singler couldn’t keep his feet there.

6:04 PM: Backbreaker by Lawson. Duke Swoon? Duke came into February at 18-2. They’re going to be 7-4 since. Keep in mind, we’re not saying that they suck or anything like that, but this is a definite trend over the course of the past 6-8 yrs.

6:07 PM: Three stops? Try zero, and Carolina will beat Duke again. UNC has now beaten Duke in six of their last seven meetings. We’re still not sure about UNC winning it all, but they’ll definitely be heard from in March this year. Will Duke? They look like a Sweet 16 team at best for us.

6:10 PM: Thank God CBS isn’t subjecting us to the Hansbrough speech. Somehow we feel like that would make Bobby Jindal look like a Rhodes Scholar (oh, wait…). Anyway, Northwestern has crawled back to get to within one of Ohio St., and over on FSN, Wake-Clemson are already going.

6:19 PM: The first of these Wake-Clemson games was fairly entertaining with a ton of high-flying dunks and fullcourt action. So far today we’re not seeing that same pace. Let’s hope it picks up.

6:27 PM: Fyi, the Stephen Curry vs. Charleston game is now on ESPN FC and ESPN360. Very early, but Curry just hit a three to go up a bucket. Also, we just received news that Dallas Lauderdale was injured (shoulder) in the OSU-NW game. He did return, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

6:34 PM: Both of these ACC teams are a little tough to figure for the postseason. You have to figure that, regardless of today, Wake is looking at a 3/4 seed and Clemson is looking at a 5/6. Wake’s size up front will seriously bother any 13/14 seed, but that second round game against a 5/6 would be very interesting. Clemson blew a big lead in the first round against a #12 seed Villanova, and this year they might face another similar type of team (Creighton, St. Mary’s, etc.). Wake ranks #251 in Pomeroy’s consistency stat, and Clemson is even worse at #288. That’s the problem with both of these teams, you’re never quite sure what you’re going to get.

6:43 PM: Clemson just went on an 8-0 run to take a 4-pt lead. Make that 11-0. Immediately answered by Teague.

6:46 PM: Clemson looks like a team that remembers how Wake handled them in Littlejohn. Wake can be so sloppy with the ball sometimes, which makes sense because the Deacs don’t have a true point guard (#305 nationally in TOs per game).

6:51 PM: Clemson is on fire right now (58%) against one of the best defenses in the country. KC Rivers and Demontez Stitt are 9-10 for 22 pts so far.

6:56 PM: Davidson is up nine at the half; Curry has 10 pts on 3-10 shooting. Looks like OSU is going to hang on against NW, up three with fifteen seconds remaining.

6:58 PM: Ridiculous move by Demontez Stitt for the and-one. It’s fairly clear to us that Clemson wants this game a lot more than Wake Forest so far.

7:01 PM: A little run by Wake with some energy to get this one back within four pts before the half. Oliver Purnell can’t be pleased with that last minute of the half.

7:11 PM: Got sidetracked by our friend Unemployment Man calling. So OSU held on to win by five over NW – yee-haw. To answer your question, Scott, the Big Ten deserves about four, but six will get in at a minimum. There’s almost no way to reasonably distinguish Minnesota, Northwestern, Michigan and Wisconsin, but we think the Cmte will like Michigan’s wins over UCLA and Duke, so they’ll get in. Otherwise, maybe whomever of the others that goes furthest in the Big Ten Tourney?

7:16 PM: Charleston has charged back into the game in Chattanooga at the SoCon Tourney. Now down only two after a 9-2 run to start the second half. We’re definitely keeping a wide eye on this one…

7:19 PM: KC Rivers continues where he left off, draining another three-ball. And another. He’s now 7-7 from the field for 18 pts so far. Wake might want to defend him a little better…

7:22 PM: Wow, Trevor Booker just sailed over the top of Chas McFarland there to throw it down. Clemson is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down, but they’re hitting 55% and still only up one three-point basket.

7:25 PM: Goodness. Why would Clemson let Jeff Teague stand out there and drop threes like it was practice? That’s two straight wide-open they’ve given up to a 46% shooter from out there. Meanwhile, keep an eye on the SoCon Tourney because CofC has come out all over Davidson in this second half – now up six on Curry and Co. It’s a 19-4 second half so far in favor of CofC.

7:32 PM: Purnell has to be wondering what is going on – his team is hitting high 50s and they’re only up one pt. Of course, they’re allowing Wake to shoot wide-open threes and waltz in for dunks regularly, so maybe he shouldn’t be that surprised. We’d love to see the stats on Wake’s dunks/layups and threes. They seem to be getting whatever they want.

7:38 PM: Teague just picked up his fourth, and he’s only done that twice this year (not DQ’d in either). Charleston is still leading by 5 in Chattanooga. Curry needs to get going, he’s only 4-12 for 14 pts.

7:45 PM: This Wake-Clemson game has the makings of a classic. Nobody’s playing much defense today which makes it more fun for the fans. Davidson is back within three, but there’s only 4:51 left and Curry has sixteen.

7:51 PM: When it’s your night… KC Rivers drilled a ridiculous contested three, but then James Johnson came down and answered (although his wasn’t as ridiculous). Basically, the team that remains hot in the last four minutes of this one is going to win.

7:53 PM: Curry just threw up a horrid shot that would have tied the game with 1:45 to go. CofC then threw up an airball three themselves, but rebounded it and put it back in. Simmons made a block and got T’d up when CofC would have been going the other way up five! What a stupid play! Now Curry will hit both to make it a three-pt game again. So with 64 seconds left, CofC will bring it up…

7:55 PM: Are you kidding? CofC just bricked the front end of a 1-and-1, then Curry threw up another brick three. After another uncalled travel by the CofC player, there’s a timeout. Does Curry have a miracle in him? He doesn’t look too concerned yet.

7:58 PM: CofC is going to have to hit their FTs to win this one. Davidson is already playing the fouling game. The star poing guard for CofC is none other than former Tennessee star Tony White’s son. Curry just missed two more threes and with 0:25 to go, Charleston is looking to ice it. Curry is 5-15 from the field tonight. Somewhere in Manhattan, CBS executives are slicing their wrists.

8:01 PM: Charleston is going to knock off Davidson, and let’s be very clear about this right now. The Wildcats and Stephen Curry will not be playing in this year’s March Madness. Period.

8:03 PM: Meanwhile over in W-S, Clemson finally cooled off a little bit and Wake is now finishing off the Tigers. James Johnson just had a huge dunk, he’s now 9-10 for nineteen pts tonight. It appears that the Deacs will earn the #2 seed in the ACC Tournament and Duke will move to the #3 seed.

8:12 PM: Sorry, got caught on the Curry story there for a minute. Wake is still up ten over Clemson with 98 seconds remaining. The Deacs certainly appear formidable based on the talent on the floor, but the question for this team in the rest of March will be focus.

8:24 PM: So that’ll do it for another weekend of BGTD. A pretty great weekend of college hoops, all in all. And how’s this for real-time reporting – we don’t want a blip about Stephen Curry in the NCAAs this week unless it involves some CBS suit throwing himself out the window. The remaining games of interest tonight are in the WCC semifinals, and we’ll be liveblogging the Gonzaga-Santa Clara game with Mike Vernetti onsite at the Orleans Arena. Scoot over there and ask him some questions as you’re watching the game on ESPN2 at 9:30 EDT.

As for BGTD, we’ll most definitely be back next weekend to dynamite the major conference tournaments on Saturday and Sunday as we all get ourselves ready for the best weekend in sports – the first two rounds of March Madness. See you then.

Michigan State’s 18-4 run to open the half is by far the most boring, least energetic 18-4 run I’ve ever seen. I’m pretty sure my intramural team could at least score five points in 14 minutes of play in the Big Ten.

Henderson has really improved his game at Duke. He was a very mediocre player as a freshman, but he has added a lot to his game since then. I don’t think he could even hit open jumpers back then. Now he routinely hits contested shots.

Rob–
Judging by MJ’s track record as a GM (or whatever his title is), I doubt he actually spends much time in Charlotte. I could be wrong though as I’m not sure about the quality of the golf courses in the Charlotte area.

Anyways, since MJ is reported to have recently bought a house in Miami (doesn’t have a problem leaving NC) and probably has a private jet (or at least a fractional ownership in one) it wouldn’t be that big of a trip (not much more than an hour and a half) to see his kid play a few times a year.

there are few things as annoying as a guy trying to take a 3 while also trying to jump into someone for a foul. the announcers said evan turner was big 11 poty. i don’t disagree. how many does the conference get in this year? i think 6.

I hope you are right about Davidson not getting a bid. It would be a travesty if they got in-if you look at their resume, it’s not that much better than Charleston’s, and they certainly would not get any at large consideration.